The present invention relates generally to a striker for a vehicle closure, and in particular to an adjustable striker assembly for engaging a latch on a compartment door.
Closures in vehicles commonly have a latch and striker type of arrangement for holding the closure in its closed position. Often, the latch will be mounted to the closure with a button or other type of release mechanism controlling the latch. A striker is then mounted to a vehicle component or structure and located so the latch will engage the striker when the closure is moved to its fully closed position. The latch engagement with the striker then holds the closure in its closed position until the button is actuated to release the latch from the striker.
A common use for a latch and striker assembly is a vehicle glove box, with the latch mounted to the glove box door and the striker mounted to the glove box portion of an instrument panel. The glove box door is fitted to provide a flush fitting condition. In modern vehicles, the styled surfaces of instrument panels typically do not provide natural overhangs or features that will hide improper door fit. Consequently, for proper aesthetics, automotive glove box doors are required to fit nearly perfectly on every vehicle.
When an automotive instrument panel is assembled and the various components are fitted, the flushness can be accomplished relatively easily, resulting in good appearance and satisfying the desired styling look for the instrument panel assembly. After this instrument panel assembly is shipped from the supplier to the automotive assembly plant and attached to the vehicle body, however, these fits invariably change. This may be due to changes in the instrument panel assembly during shipping and handling, as well as variances in each automotive body that may distort the instrument panel assembly when attached to the automotive body. The change in the fit of the glove box door, then, may necessitate an adjustment to assure the latch and striker assembly engage properly.
Typical strikers used with glove box closures are made of bent steel wire, which is welded to a steel plate that is then riveted or screwed to the instrument panel. Many times the strikers are not precisely located when installed on the instrument panel—due to tolerances in locating the plate or twisting that may occur when mounting screws are tightened. These tolerances may add to the concern with the glove box door fit.
Because the flush fit of the door is important to the appearance and quality of the vehicle interior—despite the fact that every instrument panel is installed into a vehicle body that has some variation due to manufacturing tolerances—the strikers must be readjusted by assembly personnel on most vehicles.
In addition, the need arises—whether due to instrument panel installation variations, striker installation variations, or both—to adjust the striker so the latch will engage properly with it when the glove box door is closed. Conventionally, this adjustment is accomplished by guessing what adjustment is needed and manually bending the wire of the striker. This is a very crude and inexact process that often results in the striker being bent and moved in unintended directions. The unwanted distortion from this crude adjustment process may increase the friction between the latch and striker and so may raise operating efforts—even possibly cause some binding in the latching assembly. Moreover, this crude alignment process may add to labor costs, and also may risk damaging the striker. Thus, the adjustment process, while assuring that the latch will engage the striker, may prevent the smooth operation of the latch and striker assembly and add to the vehicle assembly costs.
It is desirable, therefore, to provide a striker that is used with a latch on a vehicle closure that allows for easy and accurate adjustment of the striker to assure that the latch and striker assembly works smoothly and properly when the closure is properly aligned with its compartment.